Jealous Vigilance
by Anton M
Summary: *ON HIATUS* Boot camp is tough. Edward is convinced that marine corp recruit training is not for the faint-hearted, especially girls. Bella, who's there to prove she can, learns to detest his prejudice with passion. EPOV ExB AH
1. She's Late

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight Saga and its inclusive materials are copyright to Stephenie Meyer.

**Warning:** There will be cursing. Lots of it. Yet, I'm sure the marine corp recruit training has _way, way_ more cursing going on in there than what you'll see here.

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**Jealous Vigilance  
Chapter 1: She's Late**

_United States Marine Corps Recruit Training – San Diego, California  
Tuesday, the 29th of September  
Basic Training: 1200 - 1730  
_

"Ooh man..." Eric whined, his feeble arms trembling as he tried to resist his weight. Failing miserably, he fell in the mud, squeaked a girlish sound and didn't even attempt to get up. Our green blotched uniforms were dripping wet from the intense rain. I kept counting push-ups and ignored him. I'd gotten enough of yelling at yesterday; even an atomic bomb next to my ear wouldn't have made me flinch any more. We were blessed with a weather that was absolutely awful. And by _awful_, I mean fantastic.

For the Drill Instructor, naturally.

"I do _not_ need flabby _girlies_ around here, did you hear me?" he stood in front of Eric who couldn't take a hint. My clothes were so wet that I wouldn't have felt the difference even if I'd gone swimming with them.

"DID. YOU. HEAR. ME?" he bellowed through torrent of rain.

"SIR, YES, SIR," we bawled together, trying to stay under the radar as much as possible. It was definitely not wise to be remembered by the DI. Being remembered meant "special attention." Trust me, that is certainly not a good thing.

"And _you_, what are you waiting for? An extra hundred push-ups just 'cause you're afraid of a little_ insignificant_ muscle pain!"

Eric breathed in to his words.

"STAND UP when I'm talking to you!"

Eric stood up and had to run for a half an hour before having to do the push-ups anyway. What a girl.

I enjoyed the feel of burn in my muscles. We'd arrived last week, and were immediately divided into training battalions, three of which formed a regiment. The process of getting here consisted of unbelievable amount of paperwork, training, and constantly hurrying somewhere only to end up waiting. The first week had passed in a whirling blur, a time when I'd lost my hair, civilian clothes, passed health examinations, filled even more paperwork and attempted to get used to this mind-fuck I'd willingly agreed to. After a few days, I understood that I was no longer Edward Masen - the half-Englishman with American citizenship - but a Social Security Number.

I would remain 537 - 09 - 3141.

I'd written the number for so many times that it had almost carved itself into a mantra in my head. It was an odd yet efficient way to make all of us feel insignificant and anonymous, though that was probably an advantageous side-effect of the real idea of SSN. The battalion I was in consisted of about 450 people, but I hadn't rubbed elbows with the few girls in it. I couldn't have been happier; for both their sake and mine, it was best if I didn't have to. I didn't think they'd carry through with this tough experience - they should leave army for men, for those who could actually _do_ something in here.

The DI kept victimising those who were either too weak to continue or did something wrong. I was lucky today, he didn't single me out for some inconsequential reason like an untied shoe lace or forbidden belongings falling out of my pocket. The thing was, every single belonging was forbidden, nothing was personal in a boot camp.

"Staaaaand up!"

We obeyed, about half of us had just gotten used to complying, the other half was simply terrified with what they'd agreed with when they came here. Too bad. They should've actually read something about marine boot camps before coming here.

"Twenty laps around the camp, GO!"

Running in the front with Emmett and Jasper, we were finally far enough from the DI to utter a few words to each other without getting yelled at.

"So... did you see her?" Emmett grinned and straightened his wet clothes before looking at us.

"Who?" both Jasper and I questioned, dodging a mud puddle as we jogged. Jasper and I had been actively doing sports in university. Twenty laps was easy. We'd already probably gained weight while being here, but since I'd always had problems with being slightly underweight, I had no problems with it.

"Her," Emmett pointed towards another battalion where a blonde woman was doing sit-ups with the other recruits.

"Is that... Rosalie?" I failed to hide my grimace. "That vain girl you kept chasing after in the second year of uni? Drooling in your classes, hoping to see her in parties, lingering–"

"Point made!" Emmett snarled, but I could tell he wasn't really angry at me. "I think I might have a chance with her now though."

I let out a sudden breath not to burst into laughter. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Why not?" Emmett raised an eyebrow.

"Need I remind you there are hundreds of men around here who are not blind? Even though I reckon Rosalie is vain and unnecessarily orgillous, there's no way to deny you're going to have one hell of a competition."

"Orgillous? I don't even know what that means."

"Haughty, proud, self-centred, egoistic–"

"All right, all right, enough of that," he waved with his hands so that I would stop. "I can't wait until you get a _crush_, I'm going to bug you about her for an eternity."

"Not going to happen."

"One day, I swear."

We got closer to the entrance of our building, where a hoary maroon car was placed, three figures talking next to it. The doors of the house opened and we immediately stopped our jog, frozen in our place. A man in dark green uniform stepped out and what we did next was so automatic that I don't even remember raising my hand to the cap.

We immediately rendered honour to him.

What was the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps doing here? Mr. Charles J. Swan was the incumbent Sergeant Major, but he wasn't supposed to deal with something as second-rate as a boot camp.

He saluted modestly to our honouring and continued his pace towards the three people. All the recruited had stopped their current doings just to honour him, frozen at the place they were in.

"Sergeant Major Swan," an angelic girl voice uttered nervously, but her voice didn't waver. It was the first time for me to turn my attention toward the people that were standing there. My eyes found a small fragile girl, her mahogany wet hair clinging on to her face and her small frame was... beautiful, there was no other word for it. She must've been a visitor.

"Bella," he reciprocated, not showing any emotion in his face. "There's a rule about personal belongings in this camp, I'm sure you of all people should know that."

The girl just nodded and hugged her friends, whispering something to the brown haired girl she had with her. They drove off with the same car, rudely not saying a single word to the Sergeant Major.

"You're a week too late."

The girl had fire in her dark eyes as she stepped one footstep closer to the man. "And who's fault do you think that is?"

There was an awkward moment between them before Sergeant Major stuttered. "You... you shouldn't have came here."

"I do not agree," the girl whispered, almost too silently for us to hear. Jasper fidgeted in his place oddly, and even though I couldn't understand much about their conversation, it was clear that the girl and Sergeant Major knew each other. It was also clear that their relationship with each other wasn't the warmest.

"I made everything I could to avoid seeing you, do you understand that?"

"Of course, I wouldn't expect you to treat me any differently," she answered calmly, but bitterness was clear in her voice. "It will be like I'm not even here, and you don't care anyway, so why should I?"

Sergeant Major was unresponsive for a brief moment, which made the girl nod her head and start walking towards the building. "And don't even think of telling me you can't accept me because I'm one day too late, because that will lead to questions of why I was late, and you don't want that to happen, do you?"

He was frozen in his place. "Did you finally do it?"

"No, we will finish it next Sunday," she uttered quietly, but her eyes showed the same 'why do you care' emotion.

"He's here?"

The girl rolled her eyes, but started shivering from cold. "Yes, and don't tell me you haven't noticed. He breezed through ASVAB just as successfully as I did, so you can't throw him out without a cause."

They stared at each other before both of their eyes turned towards us. We'd been stiff in a saluting position the whole time, showing no emotion on our faces. Jasper, however, ignored the unwritten rule always to honour people with that much higher rank. Hell, we didn't even have a rank yet!

"Jasper," Emmett hissed under his breath, "what the hell are you doing?"

He neglected our silent pleas and walked over to a frowning Sergeant Major. "Sergeant," Jasper gave him the slightest nod.

"Jasper," he retorted with a mild smile of recognition. "I see you're following your father's footsteps?"

Jasper knew the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps?

"Yes, sir."

"Good for you," he answered, eyeing the petite girl absent-mindedly.

Sergeant excused himself and entered the building again. The whole forecourt got a life back into itself, people starting to run again and doing sit-ups or whatever it was they'd been doing before Sergeant Major Swan made an appearance. We were supposed to start jogging again, but the encounter with the girl and Jasper was so sudden that neither Emmett nor I started running again. Jasper was boring holes into Bella's head before the girl fell into his arms.

"I thought you were dead!" Jasper told her, voice completely serious.

"No, no... just had to get out of my father's place after... you know."

"I'm so glad you're fine."

"Me too." They broke apart, Bella stumbling for words. "I mean, I'm so glad_ you _are fine."

"I realised." Jasper chuckled. He noticed that Emmett and I hadn't moved, and motioned for us to walk over to them, checking if the DI was out of our hearing range before introducing us.

"Bella, this is Emmett," they shook hands as Emmett's eyes glazed over her approvingly. "Emmett is my friend from university, Bella was my best friend in high school."

"Hey, what do you mean 'was'? Was there a test I didn't pass or what?" Bella snickered and my eyes grew wide in wonder. This girl must've been a real hit in high school with a smile like that.

Jasper shifted himself uncomfortably, but Bella just laughed heartily. "Just kidding, Jazz, it doesn't matter."

He smiled in relief. "And this," he waved in my direction, "is Edward, my brother."

Jasper had never told me he had a friend that... enticing. We'd been to different high schools in different cities - hell, different countries even - but it still amazed me he'd failed to tell me his best friend was a girl, a beautiful girl with short hair and wide eyes. The stream of rain only made her full lips more pronounced.

"I've heard so much about you," Bella chimed with a smile. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

Uh oh.

And I've_ never_ even heard of _you_... I gave Jasper a curious glance before shaking Bella's hand. "Nice to meet you, too," I replied calmly, struggling to keep composure when an odd feeling ran through our hands. Bella didn't seem to feel it, she was still smiling comfortably and I couldn't figure out whether that was a good or a bad thing.

"So... what're you doing here?" Jasper asked, smiling curiously.

"Oh, shit, shit, shit," the girl cursed, eyes wide as she ignored the question. "Go before he recognizes you!"

Searching the forecourt with our eyes, we saw the DI jogging towards us, holding on to his hat so it wouldn't fall off with the rain. Without further thought, our feet moved faster than we thought was possible. Talking with a visitor was surely some of the forbidden rules around here and we were not in any need of punishment.

_1730 – 1800: Evening chow_

Training with the DI had passed without him knowing who we were and we couldn't have been any luckier. I didn't see Bella after the incident and I was quite sure it was the first and last time for me to get the sight of her. For some unknown reason, it made me feel uneasy.

"_Eddie,_" Emmett waved his hand in front of my face, "earth to _Eddie-kins_... why are you murdering the food? What has it ever done to you?" He laughed and kept chewing his potato. It was a miracle they hadn't put him on a diet yet.

"For the last time, please, do _not _call me Eddie. You'll receive a far worse nick-name if you continue like this."

"Such as...?" he smirked, thinking I'd been bluffing.

"Your middle name."

He stopped chewing abruptly. "Point taken."

I huffed a laugh and continued eating slowly. It wasn't that the food was bad or I wasn't hungry, I just didn't feel too good.

"Seriously, Edward, you're begging for questions here, nothing takes your appetite away, ever." Jasper added in, but kept eating hungrily.

"How is it that you never told me about your best friend?" I let out, my eyes pleading for them not to understand me wrongly.

Emmett smiled knowingly, a glint in his eyes telling me he'd never let it go.

"I dunno," Jasper frowned, "it never came up and it's not my place to gossip about my friends."

"But why did she tell me 'I've heard so much about you'? What is it exactly that you told her?"

Emmett laughed heartily. "Ed's gotta _cruuush_... finally! I was starting to think you're heading the wrong direction, if you get what I mean."

"Em, I've known her for barely half a day..."

"That wasn't a denial? You mean you _are_ heading towards the Y chromosome? Ew," he shifted his chair dramatically and grimaced. "I'm never going to share a room with you again."

I snorted a laugh and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm a closet gay."

He arched an eyebrow. "You are?"

"No."

Emmett let out a sigh and wiped his forehead. "You scared me there."

"What can I say, I'm an intimidating person," I uttered, biting some bread. "Jazz, an answer to my question?"

"Shit, I hoped you'd forgotten about it... I guess you _did_ come up in a conversation a few times, but it wasn't like I shared the most embarrassing childhood memories with her..." he scratched his head, "or maybe I did, but that's beside the point. I don't think she remembers them though," he ended quickly, dodging away from my hand, ready to smack the back of his head.

"Who's she visiting here anyway?" I swallowed juice down, trying to convince myself that I didn't care what the answer was.

"Visiting? She's not visiting anyone as much as I know."

"What's she doing here then? It's the second week, she can't possibly be recruited…" I trailed off, my thoughts filled with the petite fragile girl with a perfect smile. She seemed too… lady-like to be recruited here.

"Bingo. I think that's exactly why she's here."

"But where are they going to place her? All the rooms are filled."

"Except for one." Jasper smiled. "Ours still has one vacant spot."

"Ooh, man…"

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**A/N: **Did you see Usain Bolt's 100 metre world record he ran only hours ago? That was unbelievably wicked! Talk about the fastest human on Earth... 09.58! I'm still amazed.


	2. She's Sneaking at Night

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight Saga is copyright to Stephenie Meyer.

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: :

**Chapter 2: She's Sneaking at Night**

_Tuesday, the 29th of September  
Hygiene and Square Away Time: 1930 – 2030_

At the end of the second day of the second week, we'd somewhat accustomed to the fact that everything was scheduled. Absolutely every detail of our time was thought out for us. We literally lived by the numbers. Naturally, personal hygiene was mandatory, but I never expected anybody to actually _check_ how and when we shaved, showered… I'd never had as little control over my life. But I also acknowledged that it wasn't going to get any better, and somewhat accepted it.

I chuckled, my thoughts distracting me from thinking of the new recruit, Bella. Her place was not in here, she'd undoubtedly gotten the wrong idea of a boot camp. It still frustrated me she was going to be in the same room with us, I wasn't intending to listen to anyone whine while I was here.

"Do you think it'll get easier after a few weeks?" Jasper asked next to me while we were cleaning the black shoes. How shiny could a shoe get? I swear, I was going to rub holes into them if I kept this up.

"Yeah… I think they're supposed to bullshit us for the next few weeks to see who's got it in him – or her – to survive all these rough conditions we might face some day…" I said absent-mindedly, still not getting rid of the image of the petite girl with wet hair. What the hell was wrong with me? Spending all of my time with males must've really twisted my brain into one that belonged to an average horny recruit. Average was the worst category to be in - to do what_ others _did. To be defined as one who was similar to _others_. As long as the DI left me alone, I liked the status, but hated it otherwise. An average guy was bound to notice Bella for the mere fact that she was a girl. I refused to be average.

Jasper tilted his head to the side, eyes not focusing. "True."

I sniffed in disbelief, realizing what I'd just said. "Actually forget about it, a woman would never make it out of here alive."

Jasper eyed me in disbelief. "Women have made it through boot camps before; there are several females in high positions in the navy."

"But that's different."

"How is that different? Because they're tougher or what? Are you suggesting that Bella shouldn't be here?"

"Of course I am… you know it. And it's different because mostly look like they're taking steroids or something… but I won't deny that I don't think Bella should be here. I'm actually thinking of volunteering somewhere so I could avoid her inevitable whining."

Jasper snorted, but kept rubbing his shoe forcefully. "You've got it all wrong, man… Bella's not like that. It's in her blood to be in the army."

"Bella is a _woman_, need I say more?" I raised my head to look at him. "She's going crack in two days, remark my words."

"Wanna bet?" Jasper laughed, looking at Emmett who was walking towards us. Both of us stopped cleaning the shoes to eye his happy expression.

"Whazzup, guys?"

"What's up with you? You look like you just stole a roasted turkey from the DI."

"I wish… but I've got something better."

"Let's hear it."

"I got Rosalie's number!" He flashed a piece of paper in front of our faces.

"No way." If he would've got caught doing it… he would've been completely toasted. He was lucky that our DI had something to discuss with the secretary.

"Way. I sneaked into their building and convinced her that she's the love of my life, so she–"

"…simply gave it to you?" Jasper and I ended his sentence for him, looking at each other knowingly.

"Em… I'd hate to break it to you, but that's not her number. I reckon she just wanted to get rid of you so she wouldn't get in trouble." I continued rubbing the shoes, making sure not to miss a spot.

"No, no, it _is_ – see, 51 413–"

"It's the camp's secretary's number," I motioned towards the information wall, "see?"

"Fuck!" Emmett roared, making Jasper, I and a few other guys in our room burst into silent laughter.

"That's not funny!"

"It is, and you know it! A girl was cunning enough to get rid of you _and_ make you happy… even if it was just a few minutes."

He huffed, put his hands on his face and sat down next to us. Jasper looked at the open door for a moment before smirking, amused. "Were you going to agree with the bet?"

"'Course!" I affirmed, not even thinking of backing out of this. The sooner I'd get rid of the whining distraction, the better.

"50 bucks?"

"100!"

"Better for me," Jasper smiled widely. "You're gonna be _so_ broke after this."

"You wish!"

Emmett looked at Jasper, then me, and then back at Jasper as if this were a table tennis exhibition game. "What're you talking about? What are you betting on?"

"Edward here thinks that Bella will crack in two days, but I disagree," Jasper explained, smiling. "What do you think?"

Emmett took off his shoes and started to clean them with a brush before answering. I knew that he wasn't too keen on girls in boot camp, but he seemed to have changed his mind. "I guess she'll carry through with this, I'll bet on whatever Jasper bet on."

"Why?" I asked, frowning in confusion.

"Dude, Jasper was… or is, whichever, Bella's best friend – I'm just doing what's best for my financial status."

Someone cleared her throat above us, turning our faces towards the light smooth voice. "This is supposed to be my bed."

Bella.

She was… in a green blotched uniform and damn – it suited her! Bella tucked a lock of her short hair behind her ear and locked her brown eyes with me. I gulped and stood up abruptly.

"Of course."

Emmett and Jasper went to sit on their bed, but I was frozen in my place as I realized where Bella was going to sleep. There were six bunk beds in our room and I was the only one lucky enough to sleep in a bed alone.

Not any more.

Bella stumbled a little, but steadied herself before I could react. She avoided my gaze, took off her shoes and silently started cleaning them, not uttering a word. I cleared my throat to get her attention because an ingenious thought came to me. I'd prove it to Jasper right away that Bella's place was not here.

"_Jazz_," I specifically used the nickname Bella seemed to have given him, "I'll double my bet."

I tilted an eyebrow to see Bella's reaction, because if my presumption was correct, she'd make a big deal about a bet. Girls hated being bet on. Jasper tore himself away from the conversation he had with Emmett and scratched his blonde hair, smiling. "Really? Aren't you wrecking your wallet by now?"

I eyed Bella from the corner of my eye and saw her curious eyes on Jasper's enthusiastic face.

Bingo.

"What're you talking about?" she questioned, shaking her head a little to remove a lock of her short hair out of the way of her sight. I was hit with the smell of... flowers. It reminded me of my home in England in a weird way.

I came out of my reverie to gauge Jasper's denial about a bet, but it never came. "Oh, my brother here thinks that you're going to fail in two days," he smirked, not even pretending to be uninvolved. My eyes immediately snapped to Bella's, her body stiffening for a moment. I expected her to throw an angry tantrum or growl at Jasper, but what she did next took me completely by surprise.

She held on to her stomach in laughter and held out her hand to give Jasper a high-five. "I trust you to bet against it?"

"Naturally," Jasper smiled at her before joining her laughter. "Why didn't you come sooner though? I thought you might come, but I wasn't sure if you'd prefer Parris Island..."

_Prefer_? We didn't choose the training place, we couldn't. It was decided for us by the place we came from, so how could she be any different? Bella held Jasper's gaze for a moment, but didn't answer. She kept forcefully rubbing her shoes instead, huffing and mumbling something to herself.

"I'll tell you later," she muttered absent-mindedly, making Jasper nod to her. It was an odd exchange to witness, and it made me realize just how much of Jasper's life I'd missed while I'd been living in England. Owning an American citizenship was crucial when joining this madness and I was glad I'd never seriously considered dual citizenship.

"And WHAT AM I SEEING HERE? The moment I leave, you – a battalion of _sissy_ girls – alone, you take the liberty to lie down! Didn't you listen to ANYTHING I told you before?" The DI stepped into the room, shouting as if it were the only means of communication. A couple of tired guys jump up, startled from the loudness.

The DI – whose name was apparently Marcus – stepped closer to Bella and tilted his head on the side in wonder, completely forgetting about punishing the guys. "And if I may ask," he uttered in a mocking manner. "Who the hell are you?"

Bella had already stood up the moment the DI had entered the room, so she simply saluted the man. "Sir, the name is Isabella Marie Swan," Bella half-shouted. Her saluting came so naturally to her that I raised an eyebrow at her, but she held her gaze on the DI who was now coming even closer to the girl. It made me uneasy for some reason.

"And why were you late, Swan?" he sneered with a hint of a sly smile.

"In all due respect, sir, that is a matter that has been dealt with and already punished for," Bella answered, her gaze not wavering a bit. For a girl as tiny as she was, I had to admit that her guts was admirable.

"Oh, really?" the DI raised both of her eyebrows. "You still failed to answer my question."

"Sir, I am willing to get further punishment, but I do not wish to discuss personal matters at this moment," the girl retorted reservedly. "I am not here against any of the rules, sir."

The DI smiled, but not in a good way. "Good. I can help you by imposing another penalty on you. I don't acknowledge mindless_ lagging_."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The DI smirked, garishly let her know that she had to swab the entire floor for 14 days and left to blackguardize the others. Square away time didn't mean we were free from the DI, far from it. And blackguardizing was technically not allowed, but didn't the DI care about that?

No, he didn't – as long as he didn't get caught, he was going to proceed. Those who knew that it wasn't entirely permissible weren't foolish enough to grass on him, so it was a silent agreement between us. Our lives would be made a living hell if anyone rat him out. We all sat down again; gladly continuing with everything we wanted to be done before the end of the night. Getting used to living by the numbers was more tiring than I would've thought.

"Edward, was it?" The girl's circumspect voice awakened me from thoughts.

I lay aside the shoes to look at Bella's careful face. "Yes?"

Staring at the frowning brown eyes, I drew back a little and became absorbed in her evocative scent. I couldn't believe how much it reminded me of everything about my home in England.

"What do you have against me staying here?" Bella inquired cautiously, polite but careful distance covering her voice. "I haven't done anything to offend you, have I?"

I sighed, miffed. "No, you haven't." I sounded just as distant as she did. It would've been offensive to say it straight to her face that I'd much rather not see her in here.

"What's the problem then?" The frown veiled her eyes even more. I gazed at the others, the DI was currently chewing Eric's ass for hiding an mp-3 player in his mattress. That guy must've been begging to get extra work – he was already spending most of his time in physical conditioning platoon.

"There is no problem," I retorted innocently. "I never claimed there was."

Bella shove some hair out of her face, groaned, and huffed in disbelief. "Then why do you insist that I fall out of this?"

"I don't insist you fall out... I just..." I stumbled to find the right words while catching Jasper's premonitory eyes. "...think it's very_ likely_ that you fall out."

Inhaling a breath, she jump up and stepped so close to me that I was forced to rise up. I was suddenly pressed against the cold iron edge of the bed, the upper part of my body hazardously close to hers. "So you're just another arrogant chauvinistic prick who thinks that women aren't equal to men?"

Struggling to ignore a female body that close to mine, I held her irritated gaze, not having noticed how purely brown they really were before. "No, I–"

Bella growled mildly, the unexpected tone distracting me so that I failed to complete my answer. She stepped even closer and tilted her head backwards to look into my face. I found her shortness highly amusing.

"You know what? Prejudiced bigots like you are the only reason women turn into feminists," she whispered strongly, her warm breath reaching my neck. She wasn't probably far from poking my chest. "And I find it extremely biased of you to make those assumptions when–" she suddenly fell back and I grabbed the railing of the bed not to land on her.

"And what do we have here?" The black-haired DI stepped in between us while I still stared into Bella's passionate eyes. "Lovebirds' quarrel? How sweet of you!" he mockingly jeered, clapping his hands together and dragging attention on us by doing so. Fucking perfect.

"Was there anything unclear for you?"

Both Bella and I stiffened again to appear remotely calm while turmoil boiling on the inside. We shouted together: "Sir, no, sir!"

"I believe a little more swab-dragging is in order. How about we make it a month for the _lady_ and two weeks for the _gentleman_? Are we clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" we yelled together again, frustration still excelling in Bella's voice. The DI left, muttering something unintelligible under his breath while searching for other victims. Bella was breathing heavily and glaring at me; I mirrored her actions.

"I got even _more_ extra work because of you!" Bella accused me almost inaudibly, not to bring us into focus once more. Jasper had stopped brushing the shoes and was staring at Bella with wide eyes.

"Because of_ me_? You were the one to start it!" I argued, trying to make her see the truth. Bella was starting to get angry, and I beheld no valid reason behind it.

"No!" she prodded me quite forcefully with her finger, but didn't hurt. I was compelled to step back. "Your arrogance to believe that I don't deserve to be here just because of my gender – do you realize how bigheaded you are?"

Her breathing was uneven as she glared at me, flushing slightly from her emotions. My mind distracted me by having a row of notions of their own – I suddenly understood how different she'd be in here, the only girl amongst this battalion. It still didn't make me warm up to the thought of women in the navy. I knew I was right, and she would be one of the fifteen percent that wouldn't make it. Fragile, feminine girls like her were destined to stay at home and raise children instead of trying to prove something they're not by joining the marines.

That didn't mean I agreed with her distorted opinion of my personality. "Bella, I'm not–"

Jasper suddenly pushed us apart, chuckling. Bella crossed her arms in front of her and avoided my gaze determinedly. "Hey? Hey, hey, would you two stop biting each others heads off? As much as I'd love some theatre about two three-year olds playing in a sand-box, I'm not the only viewer over here."

Sure enough, the whole room was semi-paying attention to our strife, most eyes evaluating Bella from head to toe. She was oblivious to the scrutinizing observation on her body and kept ignoring my searching eyes. The other guys were probably looking at her like that just because she was female, there couldn't be any other reason for their longing eyes. There was nothing exceptional about her besides beauty – that could be found around any corner – and being female around a group of males.

Jasper chuckled while he shared a glance with Emmett, making him laugh as well. "We're going to have to separate you two for a while. Could you act civil for a few hours before we're going to sleep?"

Nodding briefly, Bella left without a word and I was met with Jasper's cautious eyes, even though it was obvious he was fighting with laughter. "Dude, calm down. She hasn't had an easy life before this."

I huffed curtly. "And I have?"

Taken aback, Jasper wiped his forehead to distract himself and let out a whoosh of air. He knew just as well as I did what I was referring to. "I know I didn't spend half as much time with mom as you did, but you've gotta get over it sometimes. Unless you haven't noticed, she was my mother as well."

I sent him an apologetic look as I sat down next to him, and rested my elbow on my knee after making sure the DI was out of the room. I caught Jasper's gaze and made sure he'd see my sincerity. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that."

He nodded and we sat in silence for a while, brooding in our own thoughts. Emmett was eyeing us, and even though he could be really blunt sometimes, he recognized the moments when it was better not to turn everything into a joke.

"You know what's funny though?" Jasper swapped one shoe to the other while chuckling briefly. "She didn't even fall for your English charm! Not to mention the striking accent."

There was still one thing that I couldn't quite wrap my head around. "If she laughed at the fact that we made a bet about her staying here, why did she freak out when she heard my opinion from my own mouth? She seemed to be completely fine with me before..."

"Oh, she doesn't mind the bet. By not agreeing with her being here, you just represent everything that she fights against."

"But I'm not prejudiced... I simply think an army is not the place for women..."

"Man, if that's not prejudice, then what is?" Emmett joined in after making sure we were done with being "all sentimental". "I can even help her work out here if that's what it takes for her not to fall out."

"Seriously?" I laughed. "You must really need the money..."

Emmett laughed along and nudged me, a glint in his eyes. "I'm gonna have so much fun with you two now."

"Em, she hates me."

He grinned victoriously. "Ha! You didn't say _you_ hated _her_!

I stood up suddenly to go to the bathroom before we'd have to start basic daily routine. "Stop twisting my words, will you?" Emmett only grinned, the glint still not lost from his eyes.

"Not happening."

I groaned, put on the shoes and left the room with the sound of their laughter echoing after me.

_Lights-out: 2200 – 0530_

Bella had avoided me for the rest of the night, making me actually feel like the asshole I was accused of being. I seriously couldn't see why my views would bother her so much, it was absolutely normal to think of girls as fragile.

Because they were – truth always hurt the most.

"Would you like to be on top?" I whispered, smirking. "Because I wouldn't mind being underneath..." The lights were going to be switched off any moment, basic daily routine was over and we'd gotten more ass chewing than ever before. They found fault in every little insignificant detail. Jasper was more used to the marine life and terms than I was, so he tried to keep my mind on the right words to say. Being English didn't help with the situation.

Bella huffed as he looked up, the slightest of blushes covering her cheeks. "You're an asshole."

"No, that question was completely innocent. It's a bunk bed; somebody's got to be on top," I uttered, grinning smugly.

She inhaled a breath to reciprocate at the very same moment the lights were turned off. Someone's loud voice announced that no talking was allowed, and we crawled underneath the covers, Bella deciding to climb up the bunk bed. I saw a glimpse of her long, smooth legs before everything turned dark. They awoke certain thoughts in me, thoughts that I argued with.

I'd only known her for a single day, but I still couldn't help but think of her wide eyes. They'd etched a significant mark in my brain, and made me think of the cryptic conversation she'd had with Sergeant Major Swan.

Swan... _Swan_?

I almost started laughing at my own stupidity – Bella was Sergeant Major's daughter? Now that I thought of it, their appearances did wield a similarity that I'd failed to notice before. Why did they act so cold towards each other? What was Bella supposed to end next Sunday?

I wouldn't deny that she was beautiful for a girl with short hair, although I would've preferred long hair. So that I'd have something to grab on to... not that I'd ever even consider it with her.

Someone's weeping made me open my sleepy eyes. I took the blanket off my ear for better hearing. I expected it to be Bella, but as I turned my head, it came from where Eric was supposed to sleep.

I covered my laughter with a fit of coughing and heard Emmett cough as well. Turned out Bella was not the only girl around here.

Moments later, silence consumed the room again. I stared at the top of the bunk bed, listening to the sounds of sleeping people. Bella was probably asleep as well by now. I imagined her eyes as I closed my own as I started to drift off slowly.

Suddenly the bed I was in shook slightly and someone's light footsteps followed a mild bump. I immediately opened my eyelids to the distracting sound. The outline of a woman was just next to me, leaning in as she wanted to do something. I shut my eyes as warm, minty breath spread across my face.

What the hell was Bella doing? Was she going to... kiss me?

She was frozen in her place for a moment, and I did my best to false-sleep, turning my breathing slow and even while not moving my eyelids. Bella sighed... in relief? She started to sneak toward the door and the slightest creak was heard before the door closed again. I inhaled a breath as I tried to understand why she'd go out in the middle of the night. Judging from the way she was acting, she didn't want to get caught either.

So what was it that made her secretly go out of the room in the middle of the night?


	3. She's Hiding Something

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight Saga is copyright to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

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**Chapter 3: She's Hiding Something**

The silence that fell upon the room made me feel uneasy. I wanted to follow her, but I sure as hell wasn't going to get myself in trouble for a girl I barely knew. My intention was to wait for her return and ask for what the hell she thought she was doing, but since I had my fatigue-endurance limit as well as the other recruits did, I drifted off almost momentarily after she'd left.

_Wednesday, the 30__th __of September_  
_Personal Hygiene Time: 0530 – 0600_

I felt the bunk-bed quiver and opened my eyes. The room was still murky, the darkness not allowing my eyes to focus on anything in particular. Grabbing on to the iron pole, I lifted myself up sleepily as I realized where the jitter hailed from. I remained in the same position to hear something. And sure enough – the sound of ruffling sheets above me confirmed my suspicions; Bella had to be back. I shove my blanket aside to see if I was right, but before I could, a loud noise of a trumpet sundered the air, making me groan in unison with the rest of the battalion. Confused, tired, but most of all – scared of the DI, we half-jump and half-fell out of our beds. Someone switched on the lights, and I squinted my eyes before joining the forming alignment.

Bella stepped just next to me in green shorts and a T-shirt that was too big for her, avoiding my gaze. I still noticed – a single look to Bella's wary-eyed face was enough to understand that she hadn't had any sleep last night. I smirked, satisfied that her first day here was even tougher now that she hadn't slept, she'd prove my point _herself_, surely. Of course, my money was on her departure as well.

"So... where did you go?" I whispered, leaning slightly closer to her when the DI started his morning yelling ritual. Bella shivered, and I felt goose bumps on her arm.

"What do you mean?" she frowned, her voice barely above a whisper.

I sniffed in disbelief, although inaudibly. "You _know_ what I mean – I heard you when you went out last night."

If she was disheartened by my answer, she hid it well. "Yeah, I had to get to the bathroom."

"From _that _door? And for the _whole_ night? Must've been a damn problem you had..." I chuckled as I motioned towards the bathrooms on the other side of our room. Instead of flushing like any other girl would have, Bella only raised an eyebrow amusedly. There was my answer; it was definitely not a problem of that kind...

Unfortunately, my simple gesture was enough to draw much-avoided attention to us, the Senior DI already close enough to roar his demands and questions to us. I answered vehemently, and I was surprised to see Bella yell at him with just as much loudness.

Perhaps she was more difficult to crack than I thought before.

_Theory: 0830 - 1100_

This place was made for a busy mind; either the fastidious discipline encouraged an overdrive in thoughts, or scared them away. Today, it seemed that my head had decided not to let me rest. It was the first time for me to start doubting this... the discipline, painstaking order, and everything connected to boot camp. It had been my dream to become a Marine – even during the high school years back in England when I had to take care of my mother. Going to university in America only confirmed my belief, especially getting to know Jasper again and finding out how our father was living back in Seattle.

I was currently sitting at the back of the room, waiting for the class to begin. Every day after our morning routine, we were taught details of ratings and rank, and the Navy core values. It still felt odd not to have the DI in front of us. This class was given by Aro Bartaloni, an Italian-American with a very striking accent. He never failed to mention his Italian heritage, which was unnecessary considering his short black hair and southern appearance.

Three minutes away from starting the class, the recruits felt the liberty to talk to each other quietly. Emmett and Jasper shared a table next to mine, discussing handling an M16A2 service rifle. They couldn't wait. I knew they weren't solely here for the gunnery – but I couldn't help but feel like an odd man out with my reasoning. For as long as I could remember, I'd always been fascinated by the idea of working overseas. Travelling with our father wasn't common for us, but perhaps it was the scarcity of the experience that made me somewhat idealise the thought.

I noticed Bella entering the room, her eyes searching for an empty spot. Instead of reacting, I kept gazing at her slightly slumped shoulders and tired eyes. It was obvious she wasn't entirely astir even after the daily dozen.

Her eyes locked with mine, and she hesitated. I shrugged my shoulders, tilting my head right to motion that she could sit next to me. I didn't really care. She was reluctant, but the attention she drew on herself – the only girl in a room packed with guys – overpowered her determination to avoid me. She inhaled before dawdling towards me, and slumping down next to me.

"Nice attitude, Bells," Jasper chuckled. "Exactly the way you'd want to attract attention to yourself."

Bella exhaled slowly, her words only half-amused. "Shut it, Jazz. I'm tired." They shared a glance, and Jasper's amusement quickly turned into a concerned frown.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Bella wiped her face while she unintentionally leaned towards me, making me inhale the evocative flower smell that surrounded her. I was glad that she didn't notice.

"You sure?"

Bella took a deep breath, almost smiling. "Don't worry about me, worry about your hidden porn-magazines... or whatever."

Emmett burst into booming laughter as he nudged Jasper. "Dude, you need to learn how to share!" Jasper only had time to mumble a few words and flush slightly before Emmett declared loudly over the whole room. "Porn from Jazz, 5 bucks a magazine!"

Pleased rumbles and groans erupted, guys ranting and raving about not smuggling money in here. I chuckled along, shaking my head mildly. Bella noticed my action, and she wiped her eyes before speaking softly. "What, you don't like porn?"

"No, I was just–"

Bella huffed, clearly amused. "So you do?"

I realised too late that she trapped me. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks, that cruel curse of being my mother's son. I ignored it in the hopes that she didn't notice. "So what if I do?"

Bella averted her gaze, and smiled an odd knowing smile for the first time today. It was a sight to behold. "Nothing."

"Uh oh," I answered as Aro Bartaloni stepped in the room. Bella opened her mouth to probably huff something back to me, but closed it again after Aro started to speak. I'd desisted from calling her to account so far, but curiosity piqued me, and I made the decision to ask her about last night later.

After all, the chores were assigned to the both of us.

_Noon Chow Time: 1100 – 1200_

The recruits poured out of the auditorium, grumbling and whining about the dull lesson and empty stomach. The entire lesson had been filled with explaining Marine Corp rankings and comparing them to the rankings of Air Force, Army and Navy. No matter how much eagerness he placed in his talk, Aro Bartaloni's sentences had a tendency to fade in the distance, his explanations unnecessarily complicated as if he weren't sure himself of the righteousness of his own words.

I sighed. I'd have to go through the content of the lesson again.

I shove a glance at Bella – she'd been doodling in her notebook the entire time, not even bothering to write anything down. There was a moment when I'd been convinced that she'd fallen asleep, but was proven wrong when she shifted herself. The first time I noticed her doodling I thought I was going to laugh out loud – her drawing skills weren't exactly excellent.

Understatement of the century.

"I need food," Emmett held on to his stomach next to us, "and I never wanna be pointed out again."

Bella huffed – it became more and more obvious how much the lack of sleep affected her. "You? He pointed you out _once_, for a _reason_. He pointed me out about _eight_ times without a reason, except for having a father like mine _and_ being female. I swear, I have to grow myself a dick to stay unnoticed around here."

"Maybe you should." Jasper chuckled as he stepped in the line of the canteen, and we followed him. The word had gotten around this morning of Bella being Sergeant Major's daughter, and I still caught a few people talking – or whispering when the DI was close – of her. It wasn't normal to arrive a week after the beginning of training and get away with it with a mere swab-dragging. It just wasn't likely. Hell, it didn't even sound _possible_.

"I'll start tomorrow morning." Bella put on a fake smile that was obviously meant for me. "Maybe that way I won't be judged by the lack of one."

"And maybe that will go better than you actually paying attention in class," I couldn't help but add. If there was a test for the content of this lesson soon, she was probably failing. I hadn't caught that much of the content either, but at least I was _trying_. "And maybe you should actually consider the possibility that Marine Corp isn't for you."

Both Emmett and Jasper had fallen silent, but Bella took a step closer to me. She breathed in deeply. "And maybe you're just an ass."

"Maybe I bloody am. At least I won't fail the test."

"Who said _anything_ about failing?" Bella whispered fiercely. "Why do you care if I pay attention or not?"

I closed the gap between us and looked down at her. "I did, and I care because I think people should actually _work for_ what they believe in. You know, that's what people do when they _have_ goals."

"Do you have a reason to think that I don't? You know nothing about my life. Nothing. Stop thinking that you do!"

I huffed, but stepped back when Jasper placed his hand between us. "Calm, dude. What's going to happen when I'm not around and you two start another fight? Whose body will we be burying?"

"Edward's."

"Bella's."

We answered at the same time.

I wasn't done, and I could tell that neither was she, but a blue-eyed guy with a boyish face came to talk to Bella. Miffed, I turned away from them and discovered myself from behind the food counter. I hastily thanked the short-haired girl behind it, and trudged to a vacant spot behind an empty table. Soon enough, Emmett and Jasper slumped down beside me as well. Determined to be silent, I shoved as much food to my mouth as possible. They took my cue and started to eat.

How could Bella not see that I was right? I was just trying to bring on the inevitable sooner with less damage. I neither liked her attitude nor the fact that she ended up in our room, in_ my_ bunk bed. She felt she had the right to corner me in conversations – _of course_ I didn't know anything about her. But I knew enough to see that she shouldn't have been here, she was focusing on the wrong things; she'd stayed up for the whole night and not taking the studies seriously. It'd only been one day, and she'd already proved to me that I had the right to think that boot camp was not for women.

Point made.

I shove another angry mouthful into my mouth before I glanced up and saw Bella hugging the boy – it would be a disgrace to mankind to call him a man – after ending their conversation. I froze for a moment before starting to chew again. Bella was either too nice to him, or she knew the guy. The latter seemed much more likely since I hadn't seen Bella around hugging everyone. I shrugged my shoulders in an odd way before motioning at them. "Do you know him?"

Jasper looked up, tilting his head to see behind the people on the way. "Mike? Yeah, he's in our room."

"He is?" I frowned, not having seen him before. I realised that I shouldn't have been too surprised since I hadn't really looked around that much. "So, who is he?" I cringed a little at my own subtle comments.

"One of the recruits, obviously."

"Does she know him?" I asked. It wasn't that I cared, I just felt curious. She'd accused me of not knowing anything about her life, I was correcting that error, wasn't I?

Jasper fidgeted. "Not my place to comment."

"Come on, _Jazz_. She can know all this stuff about me when I can't even know the smallest things of her? How's that fair?"

Jasper cringed at my use of his nickname. It was growing to be a habit of mine to use it when I wasn't happy with his actions. "Because now that you're determined to get rid of her, I cannot give you the advantage."

"Who said I'd use it to get rid of her?" I paused, not sure if I was telling the truth or not. "So, do they know each other?"

He arched both of his eyebrows – genetics was cruel enough not to let us arch only one – before silently eyeing Bella and the boy for a moment. They let go of each other, and Bella received her food, her eyes searching for a place to sit. I slumped a little lower as I prayed she'd sit elsewhere. I was sure there were plenty of men wanting to acquaint themselves with her. Emmett raised his hand to draw attention to our table, smirking at me. "Why don't you ask her yourself? After apologising, maybe."

"Right." I felt the urge to growl at him, but instead, I watched her approach, wearing the same green uniform. I wasn't going to apologise because I did nothing wrong. Bella and I were obviously allergic to each other's presence, and if we continued like this, a much harder task than swab-dragging would be in order. It wasn't even my opinion, it was a fact. As Bella sat down beside me, I didn't even raise my eyes to look at her, but kept shoving more food in my mouth. More food, less talking. Less talking, less arguing.

Jasper nudged me less than subtly, motioning toward Bella with his head. I sighed, but kept chewing. I had no obligation to apologise, and no intention of doing so. After a few silent moments, Emmett, having realised that I wasn't going to apologise, broke the silence by starting to question Bella.

"So, Bella. How do you like here so far?"

I held so many sarcastic comments at bay that I shove even more food in my mouth. No use in starting to talk, which lead to arguing, and if the DI was close enough, more punishment.

No, food was my answer.

She shrugged her shoulders, ignoring my presence. "Easier than I thought it'd be."

_Easier_? Was she fucking kidding me? She must've been high. I choked on my food, but got over it before my face flushed a little. They all stared at me for a moment, silent.

Bella chose to disregard my presence. "The theory is pointless repetition, and I haven't even started the physical part, but I'd consider my chances of staying here pretty high," she said with obvious irony, and I was sure her eyes landed on me. "All in all, it's not too bad." Was she deliberately smug about this, or was she trying to piss me off? The latter seemed too likely not to be true.

I cleared my throat, but surprisingly, found enough will-power not to utter a word. I hadn't forgotten to ask about where's she'd been – and why – but figured I'd have more chance to scare the answer out of her when we were alone. If I made her angry enough to make her cast aside her precautious manner, I would finally get a reply; there was not a single more efficient cure for hiding and lying than anger. I also reckoned with her tiredness – the two factors were surely going to reveal her secret to me.

I smiled a little to myself, running a hand through my–

Oh. No hair. I'd completely forgotten about that.

"Edward? What're you doing? We have to get going. Now!" Jasper beckoned, both Emmett and Bella waiting by his side with their empty plates. I abruptly stood up, wondering when on earth did I get so obsessed with an idea that I didn't even notice my surroundings. My concentration wasn't usually that good.

After figuring that I could corner her in the evening, I felt ready to face the day, not only content, but almost eager for the workout to begin. The mental fatigue I'd felt in the morning felt like a shaded memory, and on a whim, I offered Bella a sincere smile as we stepped out of the building and immediately formed an alignment.

She scowled at me, rolling her eyes.

Gee, do I feel loved or what.

_Basic Training: 1200 – 1730_

I didn't have a chance to talk to her after lunch– ...or _noon chow_ as they called it. The first week proved to be a tough one; I didn't know much of Marine Corp terms, and it wasn't a small issue to mix something up. I'd been singled out several times, but I learnt from it by remaining silent when the DI was close. They gave us the initial gear issue, including items like uniforms, toiletries and letter writing supplies, the latter of which I'd probably never use. At the end of the week, having lost our hair and civilian belongings, we were taught how to march, wear a uniform and secure our weapon.

It was difficult to believe that only a few weeks ago I had the chance to rule my own life, go wherever and whenever I wanted, nothing stopping me but a few obligations and free will. I couldn't deny that I missed it, but I was neither disappointed nor surprised by the discipline that was expected of us. At times, the means were painful and (preferably) humiliating, but I was certain that it would pay off in the end.

It had to.

Before we moved back to England after Carlisle and mother broke up, I'd learned quite a few things of marine life. Growing up in Seattle with a father like mine, though I rarely did call him such, had been a struggle that I wouldn't change. In my early years, I'd been jealous of Jasper who was always getting more attention from him, always a little smarter, a little better, a little funnier and well-behaved. The perfect child. An _amiable_child.

And then there was me. Scrawny, short, always outside and rarely behind a book, obtaining glasses at the age of seven in spite of my lack of interest in reading, and seeking Carlisle's attention with great intentions, but invariably awful outcome. At the age of eight, I'd built a fleet out of paper, and played with the ships in my bathtub. Naturally, I was the admiral of the fleet. I expected Carlisle to take interest in my actions, but as it turned out that those were his work documents of his travelling, he didn't talk to me for two weeks. Not that he'd be a wordy man otherwise, but it affected me.

The more he ignored me, the more extreme my measures got. It hadn't been a conscious plea for attention at the time, but it was obviously more serious because of the unconscious nature of it. Had I figured it out at the time, I would've understood I was being pathetic and needy. I couldn't help it. The last action I did to gain his attention was stealing a motorcycle when I was twelve. The look of disgust was nothing next to him refusing to speak to me for an entire month. Two months later, our parents' fragile marriage crumbled and it had to be decided where to put us. We were suddenly baggage.

I didn't voice out that I wanted to be assured I wasn't a burden in Carlisle's busy life. I could've just told him I wanted to spend time with him, to get to know him. I never did tell him.

Soon, Jasper and I figured it wasn't about where to put us, it was about who chose who. More specifically, who got the well-behaved Jasper, and whose obligation I became. Not hard to figure out whom both wanted, but felt disgraceful to utter. Predictably, Jasper was cool about the issue, and up until we went to college, we didn't even mention the separation – the way Carlisle finally took Jasper while I had to set off to England with mom. It took me four years to get over my bitterness, and start talking to him again as an adolescent. I'd changed, and I'd expected Carlisle to have changed as well, but the truth was... he hadn't.

"I asked if you heard me, Private!" The Senior Drill Instructor bellowed, suddenly in front of me. The tyrant's life mission was to yell as much as possible as often as possible.

Fuck.

"Sir, no, sir!" I shouted on top of my lungs. What the hell had he just ordered me to do? We'd been practising Confidence Course, and I'd just finished Confidence Climb – something similar to a vertical railroad track going to the sky, ascending about 10 metres. I'd done pretty decently, why was I singled out?

"And why is that, Private?"

I noticed Bella descending, hopping down and giving me a smug smile before passing by. Fucking infuriating. Did she do something to cause me to be singled out? I didn't have enough time to dwell on it, I simply yelled: "Sir, this recruit doesn't know, sir!" I held my breath. My reply sounded just as pathetic as it was, but at least I remembered not to call myself 'I'. Other recruits passed us by, feeling lucky they weren't being chewed out this time.

"50 push-ups might help you remember, Private!" he sneered, putting his arms akimbo and motioning toward the ground. I obeyed, it would've been be stupid not to. While torturing my already tired muscles, I wondered what I did to deserve being the fortunate recruit to gain attention. I had no problems with posture, hearing, complying, or anything else, really.

Bella had to have implied something... but what did I have to hide? I'd come here vaguely aware of what was ahead of me, I'd learned all the rules, codes and regulations. I had nothing to worry about, did I?

I finished the push-ups.

"So, did this clear your mind a lil'?" he yelled. "Got something to share with me, Private?"

I hesitated, standing up. It couldn't have been, could it? But Bella didn't know.

"Sir, no, sir."

"You sure, shit-hot? It's your last chance to spill."

What if Bella did know? I'd been careless enough to let her come close to me; she might've seen the difference in my eyes. But what if this was a bluff and I was going to accidentally reveal myself by admitting that I broke the rules?

But what if it wasn't and I was going to get a longer punishment by not admitting it?

Either way, I was in deep shit.

"Perhaps this might cure your amnesia!" he blared, holding my contact lenses' case. "You do know the rules for civil belongings, shit-hot?"

I did, I really did.

I lowered my voice. "Sir, not allowed, sir."

"Then why do you have it hidden in a sack pole?" he yelled as all the recruits who were passing by eyed the scene as subtly as possible. I didn't reply to the DI.

"Do you have problems with your ears too? Why, Private?"

"Sir, my eyesight is problematic, sir!" I yelled, defeated.

He took a step closer, holding the white case in front of my eyes before dropping it to the ground, and stepping on it with his boot, crushing it. "_Oops_, private! Looks like you need some rape prevention. And a doctor's appointment on Saturday to make sure you wouldn't be raped for the next 12 weeks. Be in quarterdeck at 1800 on Saturday evening!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Dismissed!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" I bellowed again, starting to jog toward the A-frame. I didn't show how much I disliked the option of having to go to the doctor and getting RPGs... Glasses that were so ugly they were called Rape Prevention Glasses. Not only were they murderously unattractive, they were also awfully distracting compared to my contacts.

Fuck. I was going to _murder_ Bella.

_Hygiene and Square Away Time: 1930 – 2030 _

Free time my ass.

Maybe I should've simply requested every single punishment there was? I was already having Extra Punitive Duties – cleaning on my 'free time,' and now I was blessed with quarter-decking, doing physical exercises by the DI's 'House.' Boot camp recruits had plenty of names for dull yet exhausting exercises. If only I got a Chinese field day all for myself, as well as 'indoor tennis,' I would've burst with joy.

Right.

Bella and I received our orders from the 'acting jack' – assistant Drill Instructor. The assistant was called Aro (short for _arrogance_, probably), and he was quite a short man, even shorter than Bella. His eyebrows told the story of a once black-haired man, but his shortness seemed to be a cause of a severe Napoleon complex. I suspected that there was an insecure person inside of the short, extremely moody man.

We 'sir'-ed our way out of his eyesight, but I held my mouth closed in Bella's company as we walked upstairs. I was still angry, but thought it was better not to get her worked up around people. More punishment would've been as necessary as a spot on my 'blouse.'

The fourth floor was completely empty, and I assumed its inhabitants were older recruits who were AWOL due to some obligatory mission. No matter the reason, it suited perfectly. It was likely for us to be checked on several times, so without any voiced agreement, we both knew we had to clean it correctly, side by side.

I decided to start from my contacts – why the hell should she care whether I smuggled contact lenses in or not? Jasper, who was the only one to know that I cheated on the eye exam, would've never done something this low; he knew how much I loathed glasses, especially RPGs.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, starting toward the closet where we got our mops to clean the damn floor. I gripped one, hastily gave the other one to her and filled the bucket with water.

"Why did I do _what_?" she replied, pretending to be unaware of the subject matter.

"Don't give me that shit, Bella. You somehow implied to the DI that I had contact lenses in my bunk bed's pole. Is this payback?"

She averted her eyes as we walked to the end of the corridor. Bella made her mop wet, starting to clean the floor before answering. "Maybe."

I sighed, dissatisfied and impatient. "Is everything about you a 'maybe'? Yes or no?"

"Yes," she muttered, continuing to clean the floor. I joined in, content that she was being honest but not happy with her actions.

"You do realise that I'll be quarter-decked now because of you? Not to mention the rape prevention I'll be having for 3 months," I huffed under my breath.

"You mean Birth Control glasses?" she asked, amused. "I do realise, yes. You deserve it all."

"What the hell, Bella? What did I do to you?"

She stopped for a moment to look at me in disbelief before she continued fiercely. "Are you really asking me that, _Eddie_?"

Fuck, she must've talked to Emmett about this, no doubt trying to find my weak spots.

"Don't call me that," I closed my eyes, sighing. "I'm an ass, arrogant prick, whatever – but not, uh, _Eddie_," I explained without thinking. Then I realised I just made a rookie mistake; might've given her a loaded pistol while I was at it.

She was wide-eyed, but coughed a laugh after a few moments. "_Eddie_ it is."

"Thanks," I growled. I started to mop the floor more quickly, trying to make her forget that I affirmed Emmett's words. How stupid was I?

Acting jack, a.k.a. Arrogance chose that moment to check on us. He was awfully pleased by our scowling faces and silence, choosing to stand in front of us for a few minutes with a smug grin on his face. What an ass.

"So, where _were _you?" The moment he'd left, I decided to corner Bella about last night. "And don't give me that 'what do you mean' look, you're not going to fool me. I _know_ you didn't sleep."

Bella gave me a hard look, grabbing on to the handle with more force than necessary. She huffed and sped up without uttering a single syllable.

"Ah, ignoring me now. That works too." I thought of what I could do to annoy her enough to make her speak, and didn't even feel bad about it as I knew she would've done the same to me. Hell, she already did the same to me.

"Why'd you decide to join Marine Corp?" I questioned, knowing she wasn't likely to actually answer.

"None of your business," Bella sighed. "Could you shut up now so we can finish earlier?"

"No, you're too fascinating for that." I rolled my eyes dramatically. "What's your business with Mike-boy?"

I could see her hands gripping the handle of her mop, squeezing slightly. Her face reddened – the first time I ever saw her blush – and she took a deep shaky breath as if attempting to maintain self-control. By nature, she must've been more straightforward than I dared to hope. I could see her caution fade a little, but not disappear. I started to feel bad about my actions, but pushed further.

"I mean, you two obviously get on well together... but that cannot be said about the relationship with your father. What's up with that? And where the hell were you last night when you weren't in our room?"

I was officially an asshole; I saw it from her reaction. With each one of my questions, her expression hardened, blood rushing to her cheeks and hands clutching the handle. She stopped washing the floor, clenching her jaw. Bella was furious.

She took step closer, but I was not backing down, so I made her retreat instead, her back eventually ending up against the wall. "What are you hiding, Bella?"

Bella inhaled a shaky breath, staring at her feet. "N-nothing."

"How convincing," I stated, putting my hands on the wall on both sides of her head. "But really, why would anyone not sleep on their first night in a boot camp? Where did you go?"

She raised her eyes, pleading and angry, brown and fascinating. I clenched my jaw, but saw something snap in her at that moment, because she shinned down the wall and wriggled herself out of my arms. I turned about just in time for her to be able to poke my chest – it was becoming a tradition, apparently – while breathing in and out deeply.

"My personal life is none of your business! It is none of your business whether I or do not decide to meet my father–"

Her hand shot over her mouth, and her face paled considerably. As a strange reaction, I felt fucking relieved that it wasn't Mike whom she'd uttered. Her father, however, was on such a high position that it wouldn't have been a problem to spend the whole _day_ with her. Sure, boot camp didn't allow such a thing, but an order from the Sergeant Major Swan would've beaten their word easily.

Something wasn't right about this.

"I-I mean..."

"Bella, you could easily arrange a meeting with him during the daytime, you do realise that?"


End file.
